Capability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicast service

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. Some wireless communications systems may support a determination of user equipment (UE) capabilities, such as a category or a coverage level for broadcast or multicast content. In some cases, a radio interface may be configured to account for an indicated capability of a target UE. For example, a base station may receive an indication of a capability of a particular targeted UE. The capability of the targeted UE may be specified by a service provider to deliver multicast or broadcast content, and subsequently associated with a radio interface between the base station and the target UE. The radio interface may then be configured based on the indicated capability of the target UE, for example, by configuring a transport block size or bandwidth. The base station may then transmit broadcast or multicast content to the UE using the configured radio interface.

CROSS REFERENCES

The present application is a 371 national phase filing of InternationalApplication No. PCT/US2017/057967 to Rico Alvarino et al., entitled“CAPABILITY AND COVERAGE DETERMINATION FOR MULTIMEDIA BROADCASTMULTICAST SERVICE”, filed Oct. 24, 2017, which claims priority to IndianApplication No. 201741004261 to Rico Alvarino et al., entitled“CAPABILITY AND COVERAGE DETERMINATION FOR MULTIMEDIA BROADCASTMULTICAST SERVICE”, filed Feb. 6, 2017, each of which is assigned to theassignee hereof.

BACKGROUND

The following relates generally to wireless communication, and morespecifically to capability and coverage determination for multimediabroadcast multicast services.

Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication content such as voice, video, packet data,messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable ofsupporting communication with multiple users by sharing the availablesystem resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of suchmultiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA)systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequencydivision multiple access (FDMA) systems, and orthogonal frequencydivision multiple access (OFDMA) systems, (e.g., a Long Term Evolution(LTE) system, or a New Radio (NR) system). A wireless multiple-accesscommunications system may include a number of base stations or accessnetwork nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiplecommunication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment(UE).

In some wireless communications systems that support multicast and/orbroadcast transmissions, different UEs may have various capabilities,such as being able to support a certain bandwidth or maximum transportblock (TB) size over a radio interface with a base station. Thus, when aUE is added to the field with different capabilities, the newly added UEmay not support the same capabilities as are being used by otherconnected UEs. In such cases, it may be desirable to implementtechniques to configure radio resources to accommodate a range of UEcapabilities.

SUMMARY

The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices,or apparatuses that support determining UE capabilities, such as acategory or a coverage level for broadcast or multicast content (e.g.,content provided using a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS)).Generally, the described techniques provide for configuring a radiointerface to account for an indicated capability of a target UE. Forexample, a base station may receive an indication of a capability of aparticular targeted UE. The capability of the targeted UE may bespecified by a service provider to deliver MBMS content, andsubsequently associated with a radio interface between the base stationand the target UE. The radio interface may then be configured based onthe indicated capability of the target UE, for example by configuring atransport block size or bandwidth. The base station may then transmitbroadcast or multicast content to the UE using the configured radiointerface.

A method of wireless communication is described. The method may includereceiving an indication of a targeted UE capability, the targeted UEcapability specified by a service provider for the delivery of broadcastor multicast content and associated with a radio interface between thebase station and a UE, configuring the radio interface based at least inpart on the received indication of the targeted UE capability, andtransmitting the broadcast or multicast content to the UE using theconfigured radio interface.

An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus mayinclude means for receiving an indication of a targeted UE capability,the targeted UE capability specified by a service provider for thedelivery of broadcast or multicast content and associated with a radiointerface between the base station and a UE, means for configuring theradio interface based at least in part on the received indication of thetargeted UE capability, and means for transmitting the broadcast ormulticast content to the UE using the configured radio interface.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include a processor, memory in electronic communication with theprocessor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions maybe operable to cause the processor to receive an indication of atargeted UE capability, the targeted UE capability specified by aservice provider for the delivery of broadcast or multicast content andassociated with a radio interface between the base station and a UE,configure the radio interface based at least in part on the receivedindication of the targeted UE capability, and transmit the broadcast ormulticast content to the UE using the configured radio interface.

A non-transitory computer readable medium for wireless communication isdescribed. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may includeinstructions operable to cause a processor to receive an indication of atargeted UE capability, the targeted UE capability specified by aservice provider for the delivery of broadcast or multicast content andassociated with a radio interface between the base station and a UE,configure the radio interface based at least in part on the receivedindication of the targeted UE capability, and transmit the broadcast ormulticast content to the UE using the configured radio interface.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for receiving, from a network node, acategory of the UE, the indication of the targeted UE capabilitycomprising the category.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, the network node comprises abroadcast multicast service center (BMSC), or a MBMS gateway, or acombination thereof.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for receiving, from a network node, oneor more temporary mobile group identities (TMGIs), the one or more TMGIscomprising the indication of the targeted UE capability. Some examplesof the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable mediumdescribed above may further include processes, features, means, orinstructions for determining a category of the UE based at least in parton the received TMGI, the targeted UE capability comprising thedetermined category.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, configuring the radiointerface based at least in part on the received indication of thetargeted UE capability comprises: determining a maximum bandwidth, or amaximum transport block size, or a combination thereof to be used totransmit the broadcast or multicast content.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for receiving, from a network node, anindication of an expected coverage level specified by the serviceprovider. Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for configuring the radio interfacebased at least in part on the received indication of the expectedcoverage level, the received indication of the targeted UE capabilityincluding the indication of the expected coverage level.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for transmitting UE reports to anetwork node. Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for receiving an updated indication ofa targeted UE capability from the network node, the radio interfacemodified based at least in part on the updated targeted UE capability.

Another method of wireless communication is described. The method mayinclude receiving an indication of a targeted UE capability for thedelivery of broadcast or multicast content and associated with a radiointerface between the UE and a base station, identifying a supportedcapability of the UE, and receiving broadcast or multicast content usingthe radio interface based at least in part on the identified supportedcapability of the UE and on the targeted UE capability.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include means for receiving an indication of a targeted UEcapability for the delivery of broadcast or multicast content andassociated with a radio interface between the UE and a base station,means for identifying a supported capability of the UE, and means forreceiving broadcast or multicast content using the radio interface basedat least in part on the identified supported capability of the UE and onthe targeted UE capability.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include a processor, memory in electronic communication with theprocessor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions maybe operable to cause the processor to receive an indication of atargeted UE capability for the delivery of broadcast or multicastcontent and associated with a radio interface between the UE and a basestation, identify a supported capability of the UE, and receivebroadcast or multicast content using the radio interface based at leastin part on the identified supported capability of the UE and on thetargeted UE capability.

Another non-transitory computer readable medium for wirelesscommunication is described. The non-transitory computer-readable mediummay include instructions operable to cause a processor to receive anindication of a targeted UE capability for the delivery of broadcast ormulticast content and associated with a radio interface between the UEand a base station, identify a supported capability of the UE, andreceive broadcast or multicast content using the radio interface basedat least in part on the identified supported capability of the UE and onthe targeted UE capability.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, the indication of the targetedUE capability may be received from a service provider.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for determining if the supportedcapability may be compatible with the targeted UE capability. Someexamples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readablemedium described above may further include processes, features, means,or instructions for determining to monitor for the broadcast ormulticast content based on determining that the supported capability maybe compatible with the targeted UE capability.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, the targeted UE capability maybe a UE category or a UE coverage enhancement level.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, receiving the indication ofthe targeted UE capability comprises: receiving the indication of thetargeted UE capability in one or more of a user service description(USD), a single cell multipoint control channel (SC-MCCH), or a systeminformation block (SIB).

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for monitoring for a downlink controlinformation (DCI) format based at least in part on the SC-MCCH.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, receiving the indication ofthe targeted UE capability comprises: receiving the indication of thetargeted UE capability in a transmission formatted based at least inpart on a minimum supported capability of the UE.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, the targeted UE capabilitycomprises one or more of a maximum supported capability of the UEtargeted by a service provider or an actual supported capability of theUE targeted by the service provider.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for transmitting, by the UE, a requestfor content to a content provider, the request for content including acategory of the UE, wherein the received indication of the targeted UEcapability may be based at least in part on the category of the UE.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for transmitting, a report indicatingsuccessful receipt of the broadcast or multicast content.

Another method of wireless communication is described. The method mayinclude determining a set of radio access parameters to be used todeliver broadcast or unicast content, transmitting the set of radioaccess parameters to a network node, receiving messages from at leastone UE, the messages indicating successful reception of the broadcast orunicast content at the at least one UE, and modifying the set of radioaccess parameters based at least in part on the received messages.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include means for determining a set of radio access parameters to beused to deliver broadcast or unicast content, means for transmitting theset of radio access parameters to a network node, means for receivingmessages from at least one UE, the messages indicating successfulreception of the broadcast or unicast content at the at least one UE,and means for modifying the set of radio access parameters based atleast in part on the received messages.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include a processor, memory in electronic communication with theprocessor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions maybe operable to cause the processor to determine a set of radio accessparameters to be used to deliver broadcast or unicast content, transmitthe set of radio access parameters to a network node, receive messagesfrom at least one UE, the messages indicating successful reception ofthe broadcast or unicast content at the at least one UE, and modify theset of radio access parameters based at least in part on the receivedmessages.

Another non-transitory computer readable medium for wirelesscommunication is described. The non-transitory computer-readable mediummay include instructions operable to cause a processor to determine aset of radio access parameters to be used to deliver broadcast orunicast content, transmit the set of radio access parameters to anetwork node, receive messages from at least one UE, the messagesindicating successful reception of the broadcast or unicast content atthe at least one UE, and modify the set of radio access parameters basedat least in part on the received messages.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, the set of radio accessparameters comprises one or more of a coverage enhancement level, a UEcategory, a maximum bandwidth, or a maximum transport block size.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for wireless communicationthat supports capability and coverage determination for multimediabroadcast multicast services in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system thatsupports capability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcastmulticast services in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate examples of process flows in a system thatsupports capability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcastmulticast services in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5 through 7 show block diagrams of a device that supportscapability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicastservices in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of a system including a base stationthat supports capability and coverage determination for multimediabroadcast multicast services in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 9 through 11 show block diagrams of a device that supportscapability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicastservices in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of a system including a UE thatsupports capability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcastmulticast services in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 13 through 17 illustrate methods for capability and coveragedetermination for multimedia broadcast multicast services in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS), broadcast or multicastcontent provided by a service provider may be transmitted from abroadcast multicast service center (BMSC) to a base station fordistribution to one or more UEs using, for example, single-cellpoint-to-multipoint (SC-PTM) techniques. broadcast or multicastdistribution may allow for flexible scheduling and efficient utilizationof resources while limiting the complexity of operations and hardwarenecessary to receive the data. This, in turn, may allow for efficientnarrowband communications, such as narrowband-internet of things(NB-IoT) or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC), within anetwork.

However, in MBMS, UEs (e.g., IoT or MTC devices) may have differentcapabilities (e.g., able to support a different transport block (TB)sizes or bandwidths). Each UE may belong to a category based on itscapabilities. However, for example, when another UE is added in thefield, as the UE may have capabilities different than that of the UEsalready connected, the service provider may inform the base stationthrough the BMSC of a configuration supported by the UE. Thus, a methodto efficiently optimize radio resources for communication with a UE thathas not yet established a connection with a corresponding BMSC may bedesirable.

The service provider may explicitly indicate to the BMSC the categoryfor a base station to use for a radio interface with the UE.Alternatively, the category may be implicitly determined by a basestation from signaling received from the BMSC. In some cases, a range ofservice identifiers (e.g., temporary mobile group identities (TMGIs))may be reserved for a category, and the BMSC may determine and transmita corresponding service identifier to the base station based on thecategory to be used. A maximum UE capability may accordingly beindicated in a user service description (USD) in a transmission, or in asingle cell multipoint control channel (SC-MCCH) or system informationblock (SIB).

Moreover, different UEs in a deployment of multiple UEs may prefer oruse different levels of coverage enhancement. The service provider mayaccordingly indicate to the BMSC an expected coverage enhancement forthe services. Additionally or alternatively, the BMSC may set a targetfor a level of successful reception of transmissions, and adjust thelevel of coverage enhancement to reach the set target based on reportsfrom a UE indicating whether the UE successfully received thetransmissions.

Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of awireless communications system. Aspects of the disclosure are furtherillustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams,system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to capability and coveragedetermination for multimedia broadcast multicast services.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wirelesscommunications system 100 includes base stations 105, UEs 115, and acore network 130. In some examples, the wireless communications system100 may be a LTE (or LTE-Advanced) network, or a New Radio (NR) network.In some cases, wireless communications system 100 may support enhancedbroadband communications, ultra-reliable (i.e., mission critical)communications, low latency communications, and communications withlow-cost and low-complexity devices. Wireless communications system 100may support indication of UE categories to enable the efficientimplementation of radio resources for UEs 115 which have not yetcommunicated with a BMSC.

Base stations 105 may wirelessly communicate with UEs 115 via one ormore base station antennas. Each base station 105 may providecommunication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110.Communication links 125 shown in wireless communications system 100 mayinclude uplink (UL) transmissions from a UE 115 to a base station 105,or downlink (DL) transmissions, from a base station 105 to a UE 115.Control information and data may be multiplexed on an uplink channel ordownlink according to various techniques. Control information and datamay be multiplexed on a downlink channel, for example, using timedivision multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency division multiplexing(FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. In some examples, thecontrol information transmitted during a TTI of a downlink channel maybe distributed between different control regions in a cascaded manner(e.g., between a common control region and one or more UE-specificcontrol regions).

UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout the wireless communications system100, and each UE 115 may be stationary or mobile. A UE 115 may also bereferred to as a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, asubscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, awireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, amobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, awireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobileclient, a client, or some other suitable terminology. A UE 115 may alsobe a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wirelessmodem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tabletcomputer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a personal electronicdevice, a handheld device, a personal computer, a wireless local loop(WLL) station, an Internet of things (IoT) device, an Internet ofEverything (IoE) device, a machine type communication (MTC) device, anappliance, an automobile, or the like.

In some cases, a UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly withother UEs (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or device-to-device (D2D)protocol). One or more of a group of UEs 115 utilizing D2Dcommunications may be within the coverage area 110 of a cell. Other UEs115 in such a group may be outside the coverage area 110 of a cell, orotherwise unable to receive transmissions from a base station 105. Insome cases, groups of UEs 115 communicating via D2D communications mayutilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE 115 transmits toevery other UE 115 in the group. In some cases, a base station 105facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In othercases, D2D communications are carried out independent of a base station105.

Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low cost or lowcomplexity devices, and may provide for automated communication betweenmachines, i.e., Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication. M2M or MTC mayrefer to data communication technologies that allow devices tocommunicate with one another or a base station without humanintervention. For example, M2M or MTC may refer to communications fromdevices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or captureinformation and relay that information to a central server orapplication program that can make use of the information or present theinformation to humans interacting with the program or application. SomeUEs 115 may be designed to collect information or enable automatedbehavior of machines. Examples of applications for MTC devices includesmart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipmentmonitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather andgeological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remotesecurity sensing, physical access control, and transaction-basedbusiness charging.

In some cases, an MTC device may operate using half-duplex (one-way)communications at a reduced peak rate. MTC devices may also beconfigured to enter a power saving “deep sleep” mode when not engagingin active communications. In some cases, MTC or IoT devices may bedesigned to support mission critical functions and wirelesscommunications system may be configured to provide ultra-reliablecommunications for these functions.

Base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130 and with oneanother. For example, base stations 105 may interface with the corenetwork 130 through backhaul links 132 (e.g., S1, etc.). Base stations105 may communicate with one another over backhaul links 134 (e.g., X2,etc.) either directly or indirectly (e.g., through core network 130).Base stations 105 may perform radio configuration and scheduling forcommunication with UEs 115, or may operate under the control of a basestation controller (not shown). In some examples, base stations 105 maybe macro cells, small cells, hot spots, or the like. Base stations 105may also be referred to as eNodeBs (eNBs) 105.

A base station 105 may be connected by an S1 interface to the corenetwork 130. The core network may be an evolved packet core (EPC), whichmay include at least one MME, at least one S-GW, and at least one P-GW.The MME may be the control node that processes the signaling between theUE 115 and the EPC. All user IP packets may be transferred through theS-GW, which itself may be connected to the P-GW. The P-GW may provide IPaddress allocation as well as other functions. The P-GW may be connectedto the network operators IP services. The operators IP services mayinclude the Internet, the Intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS),and a Packet-Switched (PS) Streaming Service (PSS).

The core network 130 may provide user authentication, accessauthorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and otheraccess, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of the networkdevices, such as base station 105-a may include subcomponents such as anaccess network entity 105-b, which may be an example of an access nodecontroller (ANC) 105. Each access network entity 105-b may communicatewith a number of UEs 115 through a number of other access networktransmission entities 105-c, each of which may be an example of a smartradio head, or a transmission/reception point (TRP). In someconfigurations, various functions of each access network entity or basestation 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g.,radio heads and access network controllers) or consolidated into asingle network device (e.g., a base station 105).

One or more of network devices 105 may include a base station capabilityand coverage manager 101, which may receive an indication of a targetedUE capability, where the targeted UE capability may be specified by aservice provider for the delivery of broadcast or multicast content andassociated with a radio interface between the network device 105 and aUE 115. In some cases, base station capability and coverage manager 101may configure the radio interface based at least in part on the receivedindication of the targeted UE capability and transmit the broadcast ormulticast content to the UE using the configured radio interface.

UEs 115 may include a UE capability and coverage manager 102, which mayreceive an indication of a targeted UE capability for the delivery ofbroadcast or multicast content and associated with a radio interfacebetween the UE 115 and a base station 105. In some examples, UEcapability and coverage manager 102 may identify a supported capabilityof the UE 115 and receive broadcast or multicast content using the radiointerface based on the identified supported capability of the UE 115 andthe targeted UE capability.

Wireless communications system 100 may be a packet-based network thatoperate according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane,communications at the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP)layer may be IP-based. A radio link control (RLC) layer may in somecases perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate overlogical channels. A medium access control (MAC) layer may performpriority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transportchannels. The MAC layer may also use hybrid ARQ (HARQ) to provideretransmission at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In thecontrol plane, the radio resource control (RRC) protocol layer mayprovide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRCconnection between a UE 115 and a network device, such as a base station105 (or component of a base station 105), or core network 130 supportingradio bearers for user plane data. At the physical (PHY) layer,transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

Wireless communications system 100 may include a Radio Link Control(RLC) layer that connects higher layers (e.g., RRC and PDCP) to thelower layers (e.g., the MAC layer). The RLC layer may be located betweenthe PDCP layer and the MAC layer in the user plane protocol stack. TheRLC layer may perform segmentation and reassembly of upper layer packetsin order to adapt them to the size which can actually be transmittedover the radio interface. For radio bearers which benefit fromerror-free transmission, the RLC layer also performs retransmission torecover from packet losses. Additionally, the RLC layer may performreordering to compensate for out-of-order reception due to HybridAutomatic Repeat reQuest (hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ))operation in the MAC layer. There may be one RLC entity defined perradio bearer.

In some wireless communications systems, a base station 105 maybroadcast or multicast data to a UE 115. Wireless communications system100 may accordingly include a BMSC, which may be a server defined foreMBMS (or MBMS) and configured to transmit multicast data files to theUE 115 through the base station 105 and an MBMS-GW. The MBMS GW may be anetwork entity used for forwarding packets in the core network 130. Thatis, the MBMS GW may forward packets to addresses set for different ANCs105 by an MME (e.g., via an MCE).

Broadcast or multicast data may be transmitted on a control channelusing, for example, single-cell point-to-multipoint (SC-PTM) or eMBMStechniques. These techniques may allow a network to flexibly scheduleresources and provide broadcast or multicast services, and may alsoallow UEs 115 (e.g., IoT devices or MTC devices) to receive services ofinterest without undue complexity or overhead. For example, SC-PTM maybe associated with a fewer number of resources used for communication incertain geographic areas (e.g., as compared to a multicast-broadcastsingle frequency network (MBSFN) transmissions), flexible resourceallocation (e.g., due to dynamic scheduling), and may be multiplexed inthe frequency domain with unicast transmissions for enhanced spectralefficiency. Additionally, with SC-PTM, a broadcast area may bedynamically adjusted to fit a geographic area for certain services(e.g., group calls) without a pre-establishment of MBMS bearers over apre-defined geographic area.

Within wireless communications system 100, eMBMS or SC-PTM services maybe associated with or identified by a temporary mobile group identity(TMGI). For example, a server within core network 130 may provide a TMGIto identify an eMBMS or SC-PTM session within wireless communicationssystem 100. A TMGI may be a combination of a network or system identity,such as a public land mobile network (PLMN) and a service identity.

UEs 115 in wireless communication system may be associated with variousUE categories that are representative of the UE's capabilities, where aUE category may define a combined uplink and downlink capability of a UE115. For example, a UE capability may indicate a maximum transport blocksize (e.g., a number of bits supported) and/or bandwidth supported bythe UE 115. In some cases, the UE 115 may communicate its capability tothe network through RRC or NAS signaling to ensure that downlinktransmissions are supported by the UE 115. For example, the UE 115 maytransmit a UE capability information message to the core network 130when the UE 115 initially registers with the core network 130. Downlinktransmissions to the UE 115 by an ANC 105 may be based on respective UEcategories for different UEs 115.

Wireless communications system 100 may support determining UE 115capabilities, such as a category or a coverage level for broadcast ormulticast content (e.g., content provided using MBMS). Generally, thedescribed techniques provide for configuring a radio interface toaccount for an indicated capability of a target UE 115. For example, abase station may receive an indication of a capability of a particulartargeted UE 115. The capability of the targeted UE 115 may be specifiedby a service provider to deliver MBMS content, and subsequentlyassociated with a radio interface between the base station and thetarget UE 115. The radio interface may then be configured based on theindicated capability of the target UE 115, for example by configuring atransport block size or bandwidth. The base station may then transmitbroadcast or multicast content to the UE 115 using the configured radiointerface.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 200that supports capability and coverage determination for multimediabroadcast multicast services in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure. Wireless communications system 200 may include basestation 105-a and ones or more UEs 115 which may be examples of thecorresponding devices described with reference to FIG. 1. UE 115-a andUE 115-b may be examples of different types of NB-IoT devices, ordifferent types of eMTC devices. UE 115-a and UE 115-b may receive datafrom base station 105-a via communication links 125-a and 125-b,respectively. Wireless communications system 200 may further include aservice provider 205 (i.e., a content provider), a BMSC 210, and a MBMSgateway (MBMS-GW) 215, or a combination thereof. In some examples,wireless communications system 200 may support broadcasting ormulticasting data.

Service provider 205 may communicate with BMSC 210 to negotiate qualityof service (QoS) requirements, for example, to broadcast multimediacontent (e.g., a video stream). The QoS requirements may include metricssuch as a delay, an error rate, and a maximum bit rate that may besupported. BMSC 210 may then set up a MBMS service (e.g., a MBMS bearerservice) with base station 105-a through MBMS-GW 215. BMSC 210 may sendto base station 105-a the negotiated QoS requirements, and, based on thereceived QoS requirements, base station 105-a may then apply a radioconfiguration to a radio interface with the one or more UEs 115. Theradio configuration may include, for example, a modulation and codingscheme (MCS) including an modulation order and a code rate which maydescribe the information data rate for transmission. If, for example, ahigher data rate is preferred, a relatively higher MCS scheme may beused. However, if a higher reliability is preferred, a relatively lowerMCS scheme may be used.

In MBMS, different UEs 115 (e.g., IoT or MTC devices) may have differentcapabilities, for example, being able to support a larger transportblock (TB) size or bandwidth. A UE 115 may belong to a particularcategory, where the category may include other UEs 115 having similarcapabilities. For example, where the UE 115 is an NB-IoT device, theNB-IoT device may belong to a category that may define a maximum TB size(e.g., a first category N1 may define a maximum TB size of 680 bits, asecond category N2 may define a maximum TB size of 2,536 bits, and athird category may define a maximum TB size of 1,352 bits). In anotherexample, where the UE 115 is an eMTC device, the MTC device may belongto a category that may define a bandwidth and a maximum TB size (e.g., afirst category M1 may define a bandwidth of 1.4 MHz and a maximum TBsize of 1,000 bits, a second category M2 may define a bandwidth of 5 MHzand a maximum TB size of 4,008 bits, and a third category M2 may definea bandwidth of 20 MHz and a maximum TB size of 31,704 bits). BMSC 210may establish a SC-PTM configuration with a UE 115 when the UE 115 is ina connected mode (e.g., when the UE 115 may send and receive data)according to the category in which the capabilities of the UE 115 aresupported.

However, when another UE 115 is added to the field, the UE 115 may havea functionality different than that of the already connected UEs 115. Inthis scenario, service provider 205 may inform base station 105-a, viaBMSC 210 and/or MBMS-GW 215, of a configuration including a categorysupporting the capabilities of the UE 115. Thus, a method to efficientlyoptimize radio resources for a UE 115 that has not yet established aconnection with a corresponding BMSC 210 may be desirable.

To indicate the category corresponding to the capabilities of a UE 115,service provider 205 may first determine a respective category. Serviceprovider 205 may know a type of UE 115 to which the services of serviceprovider 205 are targeted (e.g., to UEs 115-a for a metering service, toUEs 115-b that are smartwatches, etc.), in which case service provider205 may determine the category of the UE 115 accordingly. Additionallyor alternatively, service provider 205 may determine the category of theUE 115 based on over-the-top signaling from the UE 115. That is, the UE115 may signal directly to service provider 205 the categorycorresponding to the capabilities of the UE 115. After determining thecategory corresponding to the capabilities of the UE 115, serviceprovider 205 may transmit information including the category to basestation 105-a through BMSC 210 and MBMS-GW 215. Based on the informationreceived from service provider 205 through BMSC 210 and MBMS-GW 215,base station 105-a may determine parameters for communication with theUE 115 corresponding the capabilities of the UE 115 including, forexample, a bandwidth and a maximum TB size.

In a first technique to establish a category to be used for a UE 115,service provider 205 may explicitly indicate to BMSC 210 the categoryfor BMSC 210 to use for a radio interface with the UE 115. When startingMBMS, the category may be indicated in a field in an interface betweenservice provider 205 and BMSC 210. The indicated category may indicate amaximum category to be used. That is, while the indicated category mayindicate a category that supports a relatively greater maximum TB size,a category that supports a relatively smaller maximum TB size may stillbe used. For example, if a category M2 (defining, e.g., a maximum TBsize of 4008 bits) is indicated, a category M1 (defining, e.g., amaximum TB size of 1000 bits) may be used. The category may be includedin the QoS requirements, as may have been negotiated between serviceprovider 205 and BMSC 210. The indicated category may, however, beoverridden by BMSC 210, or BMSC 210 may reject the QoS requirements, ifBMSC 210 determines that another category may be more suitable.Alternatively, the interface between service provider 205 and BMSC 210may not provide a category to be used. In this case, BMSC 210 may, onits own, determine a category to be used for a radio interface betweenthe BMSC 210 and the UE 115.

Alternatively, in a second technique to establish a category to be usedfor a UE 115, the category may be implicitly determined from signalingfrom BMSC 210 to base station 105-a. In this case, a range of serviceidentifiers (e.g., temporary mobile group identities (TMGIs)) may bereserved for a particular category, and BMSC 210 may determine acorresponding service identifier based on the category to be used. BMSC210 may then transmit the determined service identifier to base station105-a via MBMS-GW 215. Upon receiving the service identifier from BMSC210, base station 105-a may then determine parameters for communicationwith UE 115 corresponding the capabilities of the UE 115 including, forexample, a maximum bandwidth and a maximum TB size. Alternatively,rather than determining the parameters for communication with the UE 115based on a service identifier, there may be a mapping between thenegotiated QoS (e.g., using a QoS class identifier (QCI)) and themaximum bandwidth and TB size corresponding to the capabilities of theUE 115.

Capabilities of a UE 115 may be indicated in a user service description(USD) in a transmission, or in a single cell multipoint control channel(SC-MCCH) or system information block (SIB). That is, the USD maycontain an indication of a maximum capability, or an actual capability,of the UE 115, as may be received via MBMS or another broadcast channel.For example, a service identifier (e.g., a TMGI) included in atransmission from a BMSC 210 to the UE 115 may include a field for acategory that indicates a maximum capability for UEs 115. Then, if theUE 115 supports the category indicated in the received transmission, theUE 115 may successfully receive the transmission. Alternatively, the USDmay be transmitted using a default or pre-configured service identifier(e.g., a TMGI) indicating a reference category corresponding to aminimum capability of the UE 115 (e.g., for a NB-IoT device, a TMGI X,or, for an eMTC device, a TMGI Y, each of the TMGI X and TMGI Ycorresponding to a relatively small minimum TB size). Additionally oralternatively, a maximum capability, or a reference capability, of a UE115 may be transmitted in radio access network (RAN) signaling, such asa SC-MCCH or a SIB. The received maximum capability or referencecapability may then be used to determine a downlink control information(DCI) format.

Finally, different UEs 115 in a deployment of multiple UEs 115 may usedifferent levels of coverage enhancement. For example, a software updatefor a UE 115 that may be subject to higher path loss (e.g., UE 115-a fora metering service in a basement) may use a relatively larger coverageenhancement, whereas a software update for a UE 115 that may be subjectto less path loss (e.g., for audio streaming services to UE 115-b thatis a smartwatch) may use a relatively small coverage enhancement.Service provider 205 may accordingly indicate to BMSC 210 an expectedcoverage enhancement for the services in, for example, the QoSrequirements. For example, based on a known type of typical target UE115, service provider 205 may transmit a signal with a level of coverageenhancement selected from the set {c₀, c₁, c₂, c₃}, where c₀ mayrepresent no coverage enhancement, c₁ may represent a small coverageenhancement, c₂ may represent a medium coverage enhancement, and c₃ mayrepresent a large coverage enhancement, each representing, for example,a dB value.

Additionally or alternatively, BMSC 210 may set a target for a level ofsuccessful reception and adjust the level of coverage enhancement toreach the set target based on received responses from UEs 115. Forexample, BMSC 210 may set a target of 99% reception of service. Afterannouncing the service, each UE 115 in communication with BMSC 210 mayreport to BMSC 210 whether the UE 115 received the service. If BMSC 210determines that the target level of successful reception was not met,BMSC 210 may then increase its coverage enhancement level to attempt toreach its target level of successful reception. Service provider 205 maysimilarly apply this technique to adjust the level of coverageenhancement in the QoS requirements based on BMSC 210 reporting a levelof successful reception to service provider 205. For example, if BMSC210 determines that the target level of successful reception was notmet, BMSC 210 may relay this information to service provider 205, andservice provider 205 may then increase the level of coverage enhancementin the QoS requirements (e.g., from c₁ to c₂).

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a process flow 300 in a system thatsupports capability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcastmulticast services in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Process flow 300 includes UE 115-c and base station 105-b,which may be respective examples of a UE 115 and a base station 105 asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Process flow 300 furtherincludes service provider 205-a and BMSC 210-a, which may be respectiveexamples of a service provider 205 and a BMSC 210 as described withreference to FIG. 2. Process flow 300 may be an example of identify andtransmitting an indication of a UE capability and accordinglytransmitting MBMS content based on the UE capability.

At 305, UE 115-c may optionally transmit to service provider 205-a, andservice provider 205-a may receive from UE 115-c, a request for MBMScontent. UE 115-c may further indicate in the request for MBMS content acategory corresponding to the capabilities of UE 115-c, where thecategory may define parameters (e.g., a bandwidth and maximum TB size)for UEs 115 having similar capabilities to UE 115-c. The request forcontent may be transmitted via over-the-top signaling from UE 115-c toservice provider 205-a. That is, UE 115-c may signal directly to serviceprovider 205-a the category corresponding to the capabilities of UE115-c.

At 310, service provider 205-a may determine a targeted UE capabilityfor UE 115-c. Service provider 205-a may determine the capability basedon a category to which UE 115-c belongs. To determine the capability, orcategory defining a corresponding capability, service provider 205-a mayalready know a type of UE 115 to which the services of service provider205-a are targeted (e.g., to UEs 115 for a metering service, to UEs 115that are smartwatches, etc.) and to which UE 115-c belongs. In thiscase, service provider 205-a may determine the category of UE 115-caccordingly. Additionally or alternatively, service provider 205-c maydetermine the category of UE 115-c based on over-the-top signaling fromUE 115-c, for example, the request for MBMS content (e.g., via therequest sent at 305).

At 315, service provider 205-a may transmit to BMSC 210-a, and BMSC210-a may receive from service provider 205-a, an indication of thetargeted UE capability. The indication of the capability for UE 115-cmay be included in a USD, SC-MCCH, or SIB within the transmission.

At 320, BMSC 210-a may transmit to base station 105-b, and base station105-b may receive from BMSC 210-a, an indication of the capability fortargeted UE 115-c. Additionally alternatively, the indication of thecapability may be transmitted and received through a network node, wherethe network node may be, for example a MBMS-GW, or BMSC 210-a asdescribed above. In some cases, the capability may have been specifiedby service provider 205-a for the delivery of MBMS content. Theindication may further include a category corresponding to UE 115-c. Insome examples, the category may correspond to a set of UEs 115 havingsimilar capabilities. For example, UE 115-c may be an example of anNB-IoT device, and the NB-IoT device may belong to a category thatdefines a maximum TB size. Alternatively, where UE 115-c is an eMTCdevice, the MTC device may belong to a category that may define abandwidth and a maximum TB size. Alternatively, the indication of thecapability may include one or more TMGIs (i.e., service identifiers),where the TMGIs may implicitly indicate to the category to which UE115-c belongs.

At 325, base station 105-b may identify a capability for the targeted UE115-c. In one case, the capability may be identified based on anexplicit indication received from service provider 205-a through BMSC210-c and a MBMS-GW. For example, the capability of UE 115-c may beidentified based on an indicated category to which UE 115-c belongs.Alternatively, the category may be implicitly determined from thesignaling from a network node (e.g., BMSC 210, or a MBMS-GW) to basestation 105-b. In this case, a range of TMGIs (i.e., serviceidentifiers) may be reserved for a particular category, and BMSC 210-amay have determined a corresponding service identifier based on thecategory corresponding to UE 115-c. Upon receiving the serviceidentifier, base station 105-b may then identify the parameters forcommunication with UE 115-c corresponding the capabilities of the UE115-c. As another alternative, rather than determining the parametersfor communication with the UE 115 based on a service identifier, theremay be a mapping between the negotiated QoS (e.g., using a QCI) and themaximum bandwidth and TB size corresponding to the capabilities of UE115-c. Base station 105-b may use the identified capability toaccordingly configure a radio interface between base station 105-b andUE 115-c.

At 330, base station 105-b may transmit to UE 115-c, and UE 115-c mayreceive from base station 105-b, an indication of a targeted UEcapability (e.g., a capability of UE 115-c). The targeted UE capabilitymay have been specified by service provider 205-a for the delivery ofMBMS content. The capability may be then be associated with and used toconfigure a radio interface between UE 115-c and base station 105-b. Insome cases, the indication may be based on a minimum supportedcapability of UE 115-c. In other cases, the indication may be based on amaximum supported capability of a targeted UE (e.g., UE 115-c), or anactual supported capability of the targeted UE. The indication mayinclude a category corresponding to UE 115-c, where the category maycorrespond to a set of UEs 115 having similar capabilities. The categorymay define parameters including, for example, a bandwidth and a maximumTB size. The capability, or corresponding category, may be indicated ina USD, SC-MCCH, or SIB within the transmission. Based on receiving, forexample, the USD, UE 115-c may then monitor for MBMS content (e.g.,broadcast or multicast content), as UE 115-c may receive,illustratively, at 355. The capability may further be used to determinea DCI format. In this case, UE 115-c may accordingly monitor for a DCIformat based on the SC-MCCH.

At 335, base station 105-b may configure a radio interface based on theindicated capability of the targeted UE 115-c received from serviceprovider 205-a through BMSC 210-a and a MBMS-GW. At 340, UE 115-c mayidentify a supported capability of UE 115-c based at least in part onthe indication of the capability of UE 115-c received at 330. Thecapability may be included in a category, where the category may definea bandwidth and a maximum TB size supported by UEs of the category towhich UE 115-c corresponds. UE 115-c may further determine whether thesupported capability is compatible with the capabilities of UE 115-c. Ifthe supported capability is compatible with the capabilities of UE115-c, UE 115-c may then monitor for MBMS content (e.g., broadcast ormulticast content), as UE 115-c may receive, illustratively, at 355.

At 345, service provider 205-a may transmit to BMSC 210-a, and BMSC210-a may receive from service provider 205-a, broadcast or multicastcontent (such as MBMS content). At 350, BMSC 210-a may transmit to basestation 105-b, and base station 105-b may receive from BMSC 210-a, MBMScontent. Additionally alternatively, the MBMS content may be transmittedand received through a network node, where the network node may be, forexample a MBMS-GW, or BMSC 210-a as stated. At 355, base station 105-bmay transmit to UE 115-c, and UE 115-c may receive from base station105-b, MBMS content using the radio interface previously configuredbased on the identified supported capability of UE 115-c.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 in a system thatsupports capability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcastmulticast services in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Process flow 400 includes UE 115-d and base station 105-c,which may be respective examples of a UE 115 and a base station 105 asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Process flow 400 furtherincludes service provider 205-b and BMSC 210-b, which may be respectiveexamples of a service provider 205 and a BMSC 210 as described withreference to FIG. 2. Process flow 400 may be an example of identifyingand adjusting a coverage enhancement level for a UE.

At 405, service provider 205-b may determine a coverage enhancementlevel (i.e., an expected coverage level) expected to provide the desiredcoverage enhancement to one or more connected UEs, including, forexample, UE 115-d.

At 410, service provider 205-b may transmit to BMSC 210-b, and BMSC210-b may receive from service provider 205-b, an indication specifyingthe coverage enhancement level determined at 405. Different UEs 115 in adeployment of multiple UEs 115 may use different levels of coverageenhancement. For example, a software update for a UE 115 that may besubject to higher path loss (e.g., a UE 115 for a metering service in abasement) may use a relatively larger coverage enhancement, whereas asoftware update for a UE 115 that may be subject to less path loss(e.g., for audio streaming services to a UE 115 that is a smartwatch)may use a relatively small coverage enhancement Service provider 205-bmay accordingly indicate to BMSC 210 an expected coverage enhancementfor the services in, for example, the QoS requirements. Based on a knowntype of typical target UE 115 (e.g., UE 115-d), service provider 205-bmay transmit a signal with a level of coverage enhancement selected fromthe set {c₀, c₁, c₂, c₃}, where c₀ may represent no coverageenhancement, c₁ may represent a small coverage enhancement, c₂ mayrepresent a medium coverage enhancement, and c₃ may represent a largecoverage enhancement, each representing, for example, a dB value.

At 415, BMSC 210-b may transmit to base station 105-c, and base station105-c may receive from BMSC 210-b, an indication specifying thedetermined coverage enhancement level. Additionally alternatively, theindication specifying the determined coverage enhancement level may betransmitted and received through a network node, where the network nodemay be, for example a MBMS-GW, or BMSC 210-b as stated.

At 420, base station 105-c may identify a coverage enhancement level.The identified coverage enhancement level may be identified based on thecoverage enhancement level determined by service provider 205-b at 405.At 425, base station 105-c may transmit to UE 115-d, and UE 115-d mayreceive from base station 105-c, an indication of a targeted UEcapability including the determined coverage enhancement level.

At 430, base station 105-c may configure a radio interface based on thereceived indication of the expected coverage level. An indication of thecapability of UE 115-d may include the indication of the expectedcoverage level. At 435, service provider 205-b may transmit to BMSC210-b, and BMSC 210-b may receive from service provider 205-b, broadcastor multicast content (such as MBMS content).

At 440, BMSC 210-b may transmit to base station 105-c, and base station105-c may receive from BMSC 210-b, MBMS content. Additionallyalternatively, the MBMS content may be transmitted and received througha network node, where the network node may be, for example a MBMS-GW, orBMSC 210-b as stated.

At 445, base station 105-c may transmit to UE 115-d, and UE 115-d mayreceive from base station 105-c, MBMS content using the radio interfacepreviously configured based on the identified coverage enhancementlevel. At 450, UE 115-d may transmit to base station 105-c, and basestation 105-c may receive from UE 115-d, a report indicating whether UE115-d successfully received the transmitted MBMS content. Base station105-c may receive a plurality of such reports from multiple UEs.

At 455, base station 105-c may transmit to BMSC 210-b, and BMSC 210-bmay receive from base station 105-c, a report indicating whether UE115-d successfully received the transmitted MBMS content. Additionallyalternatively, the report indicating whether the UEs successfullyreceived the transmitted MBMS content may be transmitted and receivedthrough a network node, where the network node may be, for example aMBMS-GW, or BMSC 210-b as stated. BMSC 210-b may receive one or more ofsuch reports from multiple UEs, from which BMSC 210-b may determine aproportion of the total amount of UEs that successfully received thetransmitted MBMS content.

At 460, BMSC 210-b may determine an updated coverage enhancement levelbased on the received one or more reports indicating whether UEs 115(including, e.g., UE 115-d) successfully received the transmitted MBMScontent. In some cases, BMSC 210-b may have set a target for a level ofsuccessful reception and adjust the level of coverage enhancement toreach the set target based on received responses from UEs 115. Forexample, BMSC 210-b may set a target of 99% reception of service. Afterannouncing the service, each UE 115 in communication with BMSC 210-b mayreport to BMSC 210-b whether the UE 115 received the service. Based onthe reports, BMSC 210-b may determine an updated coverage enhancementlevel to enable the respective UEs 115 to successfully receive the MBMScontent at the desired rate. If BMSC 210 determines that the targetlevel of successful reception was not met, BMSC 210 may then increaseits coverage enhancement level to attempt to reach its target level ofsuccessful reception.

While 460 discusses determining an updated coverage level, additionallyor alternatively, BMSC 210 may modify other radio access parametersbased on the received one or more reports indicating whether UEs 115(including, e.g., UE 115-d) successfully received the transmitted MBMScontent. BMSC 210-b may accordingly determine other parameters based onthe capabilities of the responding UEs 115. For example, in additionmodifying the coverage enhancement level, BMSC 210 may modify a categoryfor a UE 115, a maximum bandwidth, or a maximum TB size.

At 465, BMSC 210-b may transmit to base station 105-c, and base station105-c may receive from BMSC 210-b, an updated indication specifying theupdated coverage enhancement level determined at 460. Additionally oralternatively, the updated indication specifying the updated coverageenhancement level may be transmitted and received through a networknode, where the network node may be, for example a MBMS-GW, or BMSC210-b as stated. Further, as discussed with reference to 460, BMSC 210-bmay further transmit an updated indication of parameters including, forexample, a category for a UE 115, a maximum bandwidth, or a maximum TBsize.

At 470, base station 105-c may modify the radio interface based on thereceived updated indication of the updated coverage enhancement level.Base station 105-c may further modify the radio interface based onupdated parameters received in the updated indication at 465, including,for example, a category for a UE 115, a maximum bandwidth, or a maximumTB size. Base station 105-c may then use the modified radio interface totransmit MBMS data to one or more UEs, including, for example, UE 115-d.This process may be iterated, thus providing for repeated adjustments ofthe coverage enhancement level, until the desired ratio of connected UEshave successfully received the MBMS data.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram 500 of a wireless device 505 that supportscapability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicastservices in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.Wireless device 505 may be an example of aspects of a base station 105as described with reference to FIG. 1. wireless device 505 may includereceiver 510, base station capability and coverage manager 515, andtransmitter 520. wireless device 505 may also include a processor. Eachof these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., viaone or more buses).

Receiver 510 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to capabilityand coverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicast services,etc.). Information may be passed on to other components of the device.The receiver 510 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 835described with reference to FIG. 8.

Base station capability and coverage manager 515 may be an example ofaspects of the base station capability and coverage manager 815described with reference to FIG. 8. Base station capability and coveragemanager 515 and/or at least some of its various sub-components may beimplemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, orany combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by aprocessor, the functions of the base station capability and coveragemanager 515 and/or at least some of its various sub-components may beexecuted by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor(DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), anfield-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described in thepresent disclosure.

The base station capability and coverage manager 515 and/or at leastsome of its various sub-components may be physically located at variouspositions, including being distributed such that portions of functionsare implemented at different physical locations by one or more physicaldevices. In some examples, base station capability and coverage manager515 and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be a separateand distinct component in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. In other examples, base station capability and coveragemanager 515 and/or at least some of its various sub-components may becombined with one or more other hardware components, including but notlimited to an I/O component, a transceiver, a network server, anothercomputing device, one or more other components described in the presentdisclosure, or a combination thereof in accordance with various aspectsof the present disclosure.

Base station capability and coverage manager 515 may receive anindication of a targeted UE capability, the targeted UE capabilityspecified by a service provider for the delivery of broadcast ormulticast content and associated with a radio interface between the basestation and a UE, configure the radio interface based on the receivedindication of the targeted UE capability, and transmit the broadcast ormulticast content to the UE using the configured radio interface. Thebase station capability and coverage manager 515 may also determine aset of radio access parameters to be used to deliver broadcast orunicast content, transmit the set of radio access parameters to anetwork node, receive messages from at least one UE, the messagesindicating successful reception of the broadcast or unicast content atthe at least one UE, and modify the set of radio access parameters basedon the received messages.

Transmitter 520 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 520 may be collocated witha receiver 510 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 520may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 835 described withreference to FIG. 8. The transmitter 520 may include a single antenna,or it may include a set of antennas.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram 600 of a wireless device 605 that supportscapability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicastservices in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.Wireless device 605 may be an example of aspects of a wireless device505 or a base station 105 as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5.wireless device 605 may include receiver 610, base station capabilityand coverage manager 615, and transmitter 620. wireless device 605 mayalso include a processor. Each of these components may be incommunication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver 610 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to capabilityand coverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicast services,etc.). Information may be passed on to other components of the device.The receiver 610 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 835described with reference to FIG. 8.

Base station capability and coverage manager 615 may be an example ofaspects of the base station capability and coverage manager 815described with reference to FIG. 8. Base station capability and coveragemanager 615 may also include targeted UE capability manager 625, radiointerface manager 630, broadcast/multicast content component 635, radioaccess parameter manager 640, messaging component 645, and radio accessparameter modifier 650.

Targeted UE capability manager 625 may receive an indication of atargeted UE capability, the targeted UE capability specified by aservice provider for the delivery of broadcast or multicast content andassociated with a radio interface between the base station and a UE andreceive an updated indication of a targeted UE capability from thenetwork node, the radio interface modified based on the updated targetedUE capability.

Radio interface manager 630 may configure the radio interface based onthe received indication of the targeted UE capability and configure theradio interface based on the received indication of the expectedcoverage level, the received indication of the targeted UE capabilityincluding the indication of the expected coverage level. In some cases,configuring the radio interface based on the received indication of thetargeted UE capability includes: determining a maximum bandwidth, or amaximum transport block size, or a combination thereof to be used totransmit the broadcast or multicast content.

Broadcast/multicast content component 635 may transmit the broadcast ormulticast content to the UE using the configured radio interface. Radioaccess parameter manager 640 may determine a set of radio accessparameters to be used to deliver broadcast or unicast content andtransmit the set of radio access parameters to a network node. In somecases, the set of radio access parameters includes one or more of acoverage enhancement level, a UE category, a maximum bandwidth, or amaximum transport block size. Messaging component 645 may receivemessages from at least one UE, the messages indicating successfulreception of the broadcast or unicast content at the at least one UE.

Radio access parameter modifier 650 may modify the set of radio accessparameters based on the received messages. Transmitter 620 may transmitsignals generated by other components of the device. In some examples,the transmitter 620 may be collocated with a receiver 610 in atransceiver module. For example, the transmitter 620 may be an exampleof aspects of the transceiver 835 described with reference to FIG. 8.The transmitter 620 may include a single antenna, or it may include aset of antennas.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram 700 of a base station capability andcoverage manager 715 that supports capability and coverage determinationfor multimedia broadcast multicast services in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure. The base station capability andcoverage manager 715 may be an example of aspects of a base stationcapability and coverage manager 515, a base station capability andcoverage manager 615, or a base station capability and coverage manager815 described with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 8. The base stationcapability and coverage manager 715 may include targeted UE capabilitymanager 720, radio interface manager 725, broadcast/multicast contentcomponent 730, radio access parameter manager 735, messaging component740, radio access parameter modifier 745, UE category component 750,TMGI component 755, coverage level component 760, and UE report manager765. Each of these modules may communicate, directly or indirectly, withone another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Targeted UE capability manager 720 may receive an indication of atargeted UE capability, the targeted UE capability specified by aservice provider for the delivery of broadcast or multicast content andassociated with a radio interface between the base station and a UE andreceive an updated indication of a targeted UE capability from thenetwork node, the radio interface modified based on the updated targetedUE capability.

Radio interface manager 725 may configure the radio interface based onthe received indication of the targeted UE capability and configure theradio interface based on the received indication of the expectedcoverage level, the received indication of the targeted UE capabilityincluding the indication of the expected coverage level. In some cases,configuring the radio interface based on the received indication of thetargeted UE capability includes: determining a maximum bandwidth, or amaximum transport block size, or a combination thereof to be used totransmit the broadcast or multicast content.

Broadcast/multicast content component 730 may transmit the broadcast ormulticast content to the UE using the configured radio interface. Radioaccess parameter manager 735 may determine a set of radio accessparameters to be used to deliver broadcast or unicast content andtransmit the set of radio access parameters to a network node. In somecases, the set of radio access parameters includes one or more of acoverage enhancement level, a UE category, a maximum bandwidth, or amaximum transport block size.

Messaging component 740 may receive messages from at least one UE, themessages indicating successful reception of the broadcast or unicastcontent at the at least one UE. Radio access parameter modifier 745 maymodify the set of radio access parameters based on the receivedmessages. UE category component 750 may receive, from a network node, acategory of the UE, the indication of the targeted UE capabilityincluding the category. In some cases, the network node includes abroadcast multicast service center (BMSC), or a multimedia broadcastmulticast service (MBMS) gateway, or a combination thereof.

TMGI component 755 may receive, from a network node, one or moretemporary mobile group identities (TMGIs), the one or more TMGIsincluding the indication of the targeted UE capability and determine acategory of the UE based on the received TMGI, the targeted UEcapability including the determined category. Coverage level component760 may receive, from a network node, an indication of an expectedcoverage level specified by the service provider. UE report manager 765may transmit UE reports to a network node.

FIG. 8 shows a diagram of a system 800 including a device 805 thatsupports capability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcastmulticast services in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Device 805 may be an example of or include the components ofwireless device 505, wireless device 605, or a base station 105 asdescribed above, e.g., with reference to FIGS. 1, 5 and 6. Device 805may include components for bi-directional voice and data communicationsincluding components for transmitting and receiving communications,including base station capability and coverage manager 815, processor820, memory 825, software 830, transceiver 835, antenna 840, networkcommunications manager 845, and base station communications manager 850.These components may be in electronic communication via one or morebusses (e.g., bus 810). Device 805 may communicate wirelessly with oneor more UEs 115.

Processor 820 may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., ageneral-purpose processor, a DSP, a central processing unit (CPU), amicrocontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, adiscrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardwarecomponent, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 820 maybe configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. Inother cases, a memory controller may be integrated into processor 820.Processor 820 may be configured to execute computer-readableinstructions stored in a memory to perform various functions (e.g.,functions or tasks supporting capability and coverage determination formultimedia broadcast multicast services).

Memory 825 may include random access memory (RAM) and read only memory(ROM). The memory 825 may store computer-readable, computer-executablesoftware 830 including instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases,the memory 825 may contain, among other things, a basic input/outputsystem (BIOS) which may control basic hardware and/or software operationsuch as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

Software 830 may include code to implement aspects of the presentdisclosure, including code to support capability and coveragedetermination for multimedia broadcast multicast services. Software 830may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such assystem memory or other memory. In some cases, the software 830 may notbe directly executable by the processor but may cause a computer (e.g.,when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein.

Transceiver 835 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or moreantennas, wired, or wireless links as described above. For example, thetransceiver 835 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicatebi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 835may also include a modem to modulate the packets and provide themodulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and to demodulatepackets received from the antennas.

In some cases, the wireless device may include a single antenna 840.However, in some cases the device may have more than one antenna 840,which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiplewireless transmissions. Network communications manager 845 may managecommunications with the core network (e.g., via one or more wiredbackhaul links). For example, the network communications manager 845 maymanage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such asone or more UEs 115.

Base station communications manager 850 may manage communications withother base station 105, and may include a controller or scheduler forcontrolling communications with UEs 115 in cooperation with other basestations 105. For example, the base station communications manager 850may coordinate scheduling for transmissions to UEs 115 for variousinterference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or jointtransmission. In some examples, base station communications manager 850may provide an X2 interface within an Long Term Evolution (LTE)/LTE-Awireless communication network technology to provide communicationbetween base stations 105.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram 900 of a wireless device 905 that supportscapability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicastservices in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.Wireless device 905 may be an example of aspects of a UE 115 asdescribed with reference to FIG. 1. wireless device 905 may includereceiver 910, UE capability and coverage manager 915, and transmitter920. wireless device 905 may also include a processor. Each of thesecomponents may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one ormore buses).

Receiver 910 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to capabilityand coverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicast services,etc.). Information may be passed on to other components of the device.The receiver 910 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1235described with reference to FIG. 12.

UE capability and coverage manager 915 may be an example of aspects ofthe UE capability and coverage manager 1215 described with reference toFIG. 12. UE capability and coverage manager 915 and/or at least some ofits various sub-components may be implemented in hardware, softwareexecuted by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. Ifimplemented in software executed by a processor, the functions of the UEcapability and coverage manager 915 and/or at least some of its varioussub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, anASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described in the presentdisclosure.

The UE capability and coverage manager 915 and/or at least some of itsvarious sub-components may be physically located at various positions,including being distributed such that portions of functions areimplemented at different physical locations by one or more physicaldevices. In some examples, UE capability and coverage manager 915 and/orat least some of its various sub-components may be a separate anddistinct component in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. In other examples, UE capability and coverage manager 915and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be combined withone or more other hardware components, including but not limited to anI/O component, a transceiver, a network server, another computingdevice, one or more other components described in the presentdisclosure, or a combination thereof in accordance with various aspectsof the present disclosure.

UE capability and coverage manager 915 may receive an indication of atargeted UE capability for the delivery of broadcast or multicastcontent and associated with a radio interface between the UE and a basestation, identify a supported capability of the UE, and receivebroadcast or multicast content using the radio interface based on theidentified supported capability of the UE and on the targeted UEcapability.

Transmitter 920 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 920 may be collocated witha receiver 910 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 920may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1235 described withreference to FIG. 12. The transmitter 920 may include a single antenna,or it may include a set of antennas.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram 1000 of a wireless device 1005 thatsupports capability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcastmulticast services in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Wireless device 1005 may be an example of aspects of awireless device 905 or a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGS. 1and 9. wireless device 1005 may include receiver 1010, UE capability andcoverage manager 1015, and transmitter 1020. wireless device 1005 mayalso include a processor. Each of these components may be incommunication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver 1010 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to capabilityand coverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicast services,etc.). Information may be passed on to other components of the device.The receiver 1010 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1235described with reference to FIG. 12.

UE capability and coverage manager 1015 may be an example of aspects ofthe UE capability and coverage manager 1215 described with reference toFIG. 12. UE capability and coverage manager 1015 may also include UEcapability manager 1025, supported capability component 1030, and UEbroadcast/multicast content component 1035.

UE capability manager 1025 may receive an indication of a targeted UEcapability for the delivery of broadcast or multicast content andassociated with a radio interface between the UE and a base station. Insome cases, the indication of the targeted UE capability is receivedfrom a service provider. In some cases, the targeted UE capability is aUE category or a UE coverage enhancement level. In some cases, receivingthe indication of the targeted UE capability includes: receiving theindication of the targeted UE capability in one or more of a userservice description (USD), a single cell multipoint control channel(SC-MCCH), or a system information block (SIB). In some cases, receivingthe indication of the targeted UE capability includes: receiving theindication of the targeted UE capability in a transmission formattedbased on a minimum supported capability of the UE. In some cases, thetargeted UE capability includes one or more of a maximum supportedcapability of the UE targeted by a service provider or an actualsupported capability of the UE targeted by the service provider.

Supported capability component 1030 may identify a supported capabilityof the UE and determine if the supported capability is compatible withthe targeted UE capability. UE broadcast/multicast content component1035 may receive broadcast or multicast content using the radiointerface based on the identified supported capability of the UE and onthe targeted UE capability.

Transmitter 1020 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 1020 may be collocatedwith a receiver 1010 in a transceiver module. For example, thetransmitter 1020 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1235described with reference to FIG. 12. The transmitter 1020 may include asingle antenna, or it may include a set of antennas.

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram 1100 of a UE capability and coveragemanager 1115 that supports capability and coverage determination formultimedia broadcast multicast services in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure. The UE capability and coveragemanager 1115 may be an example of aspects of a UE capability andcoverage manager 1215 described with reference to FIGS. 9, 10, and 12.The UE capability and coverage manager 1115 may include UE capabilitymanager 1120, supported capability component 1125, UEbroadcast/multicast content component 1130, broadcast/multicastmonitoring component 1135, content request component 1140, and reportingcomponent 1145. Each of these modules may communicate, directly orindirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

UE capability manager 1120 may receive an indication of a targeted UEcapability for the delivery of broadcast or multicast content andassociated with a radio interface between the UE and a base station. Insome cases, the indication of the targeted UE capability is receivedfrom a service provider. In some cases, the targeted UE capability is aUE category or a UE coverage enhancement level. In some cases, receivingthe indication of the targeted UE capability includes: receiving theindication of the targeted UE capability in one or more of a userservice description (USD), a single cell multipoint control channel(SC-MCCH), or a SIB. In some cases, receiving the indication of thetargeted UE capability includes: receiving the indication of thetargeted UE capability in a transmission formatted based on a minimumsupported capability of the UE. In some cases, the targeted UEcapability includes one or more of a maximum supported capability of theUE targeted by a service provider or an actual supported capability ofthe UE targeted by the service provider.

Supported capability component 1125 may identify a supported capabilityof the UE and determine if the supported capability is compatible withthe targeted UE capability. UE broadcast/multicast content component1130 may receive broadcast or multicast content using the radiointerface based on the identified supported capability of the UE and onthe targeted UE capability. Broadcast/multicast monitoring component1135 may determine to monitor for the broadcast or multicast contentbased on determining that the supported capability is compatible withthe targeted UE capability and monitor for a downlink controlinformation (DCI) format based on the SC-MCCH.

Content request component 1140 may transmit, by the UE, a request forcontent to a content provider, the request for content including acategory of the UE, where the received indication of the targeted UEcapability is based on the category of the UE. Reporting component 1145may transmit, a report indicating successful receipt of the broadcast ormulticast content.

FIG. 12 shows a diagram of a system 1200 including a device 1205 thatsupports capability and coverage determination for multimedia broadcastmulticast services in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Device 1205 may be an example of or include the componentsof UE 115 as described above, e.g., with reference to FIG. 1. Device1205 may include components for bi-directional voice and datacommunications including components for transmitting and receivingcommunications, including UE capability and coverage manager 1215,processor 1220, memory 1225, software 1230, transceiver 1235, antenna1240, and I/O controller 1245. These components may be in electroniccommunication via one or more busses (e.g., bus 1210). Device 1205 maycommunicate wirelessly with one or more base stations 105.

Processor 1220 may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., ageneral-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, anFPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logiccomponent, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof).In some cases, processor 1220 may be configured to operate a memoryarray using a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller maybe integrated into processor 1220. Processor 1220 may be configured toexecute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory to performvarious functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting capability andcoverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicast services).

Memory 1225 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1225 may storecomputer-readable, computer-executable software 1230 includinginstructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform variousfunctions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1225 may contain,among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware and/orsoftware operation such as the interaction with peripheral components ordevices.

Software 1230 may include code to implement aspects of the presentdisclosure, including code to support capability and coveragedetermination for multimedia broadcast multicast services. Software 1230may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such assystem memory or other memory. In some cases, the software 1230 may notbe directly executable by the processor but may cause a computer (e.g.,when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein.

Transceiver 1235 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or moreantennas, wired, or wireless links as described above. For example, thetransceiver 1235 may represent a wireless transceiver and maycommunicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. Thetransceiver 1235 may also include a modem to modulate the packets andprovide the modulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and todemodulate packets received from the antennas. In some cases, thewireless device may include a single antenna 1240. However, in somecases the device may have more than one antenna 1240, which may becapable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wirelesstransmissions.

I/O controller 1245 may manage input and output signals for device 1205.I/O controller 1245 may also manage peripherals not integrated intodevice 1205. In some cases, I/O controller 1245 may represent a physicalconnection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, I/Ocontroller 1245 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®,MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS/2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operatingsystem. In other cases, I/O controller 1245 may represent or interactwith a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a similar device.In some cases, I/O controller 1245 may be implemented as part of aprocessor. In some cases, a user may interact with device 1205 via I/Ocontroller 1245 or via hardware components controlled by I/O controller1245.

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1300 for capability andcoverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicast services inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Theoperations of method 1300 may be implemented by a base station 105 orits components as described herein. For example, the operations ofmethod 1300 may be performed by a base station capability and coveragemanager as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8. In someexamples, a base station 105 may execute a set of codes to control thefunctional elements of the device to perform the functions describedbelow. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may performaspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block 1305 the base station 105 may receive an indication of atargeted UE capability, the targeted UE capability specified by aservice provider for the delivery of broadcast or multicast content andassociated with a radio interface between the base station and a UE 115.The operations of block 1305 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples,aspects of the operations of block 1305 may be performed by a targetedUE capability manager as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8.

At block 1310 the base station 105 may configure the radio interfacebased at least in part on the received indication of the targeted UEcapability. The operations of block 1310 may be performed according tothe methods described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certainexamples, aspects of the operations of block 1310 may be performed by aradio interface manager as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through8.

At block 1315 the base station 105 may transmit the broadcast ormulticast content to the UE 115 using the configured radio interface.The operations of block 1315 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples,aspects of the operations of block 1315 may be performed by abroadcast/multicast content component as described with reference toFIGS. 5 through 8.

FIG. 14 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1400 for capability andcoverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicast services inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Theoperations of method 1400 may be implemented by a base station 105 orits components as described herein. For example, the operations ofmethod 1400 may be performed by a base station capability and coveragemanager as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8. In someexamples, a base station 105 may execute a set of codes to control thefunctional elements of the device to perform the functions describedbelow. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may performaspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block 1405 the base station 105 may receive, from a network node, acategory of the UE. The operations of block 1405 may be performedaccording to the methods described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4.In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block 1405 may beperformed by a UE category component as described with reference toFIGS. 5 through 8.

At block 1410 the base station 105 may receive an indication of atargeted UE capability, where the indication of the targeted UEcapability may include the category, and the targeted UE capabilityspecified by a service provider for the delivery of broadcast ormulticast content and associated with a radio interface between the basestation and a UE. The operations of block 1410 may be performedaccording to the methods described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4.In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block 1410 may beperformed by a targeted UE capability manager as described withreference to FIGS. 5 through 8.

At block 1415 the base station 105 may configure the radio interfacebased at least in part on the received indication of the targeted UEcapability. The operations of block 1415 may be performed according tothe methods described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certainexamples, aspects of the operations of block 1415 may be performed by aradio interface manager as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through8.

At block 1420 the base station 105 may transmit the broadcast ormulticast content to the UE using the configured radio interface. Theoperations of block 1420 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples,aspects of the operations of block 1420 may be performed by abroadcast/multicast content component as described with reference toFIGS. 5 through 8.

FIG. 15 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1500 for capability andcoverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicast services inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Theoperations of method 1500 may be implemented by a base station 105 orits components as described herein. For example, the operations ofmethod 1500 may be performed by a base station capability and coveragemanager as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8. In someexamples, a base station 105 may execute a set of codes to control thefunctional elements of the device to perform the functions describedbelow. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may performaspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block 1505 the base station 105 may receive, from a network node, oneor more TMGIs, the one or more TMGIs comprising an indication of atargeted UE capability. The operations of block 1505 may be performedaccording to the methods described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4.In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block 1505 may beperformed by a TMGI component as described with reference to FIGS. 5through 8.

At block 1510 the base station 105 may determine a category of the UEbased at least in part on the received TMGI, the targeted UE capabilitycomprising the determined category. The operations of block 1510 may beperformed according to the methods described with reference to FIGS. 1through 4. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block 1510may be performed by a TMGI component as described with reference toFIGS. 5 through 8.

At block 1515 the base station 105 may configure the radio interfacebased at least in part on the received indication of the targeted UEcapability. The operations of block 1515 may be performed according tothe methods described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certainexamples, aspects of the operations of block 1515 may be performed by aradio interface manager as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through8.

At block 1520 the base station 105 may transmit broadcast or multicastcontent to the UE 115 using the configured radio interface. Theoperations of block 1520 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples,aspects of the operations of block 1520 may be performed by abroadcast/multicast content component as described with reference toFIGS. 5 through 8.

FIG. 16 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1600 for capability andcoverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicast services inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Theoperations of method 1600 may be implemented by a UE 115 or itscomponents as described herein. For example, the operations of method1600 may be performed by a UE capability and coverage manager asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12. In some examples, a UE115 may execute a set of codes to control the functional elements of thedevice to perform the functions described below. Additionally oralternatively, the UE 115 may perform aspects of the functions describedbelow using special-purpose hardware.

At block 1605 the UE 115 may receive an indication of a targeted UEcapability for the delivery of broadcast or multicast content andassociated with a radio interface between the UE 115 and a base station105. The operations of block 1605 may be performed according to themethods described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certainexamples, aspects of the operations of block 1605 may be performed by aUE capability manager as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

At block 1610 the UE 115 may identify a supported capability of the UE.The operations of block 1610 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples,aspects of the operations of block 1610 may be performed by a supportedcapability component as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

At block 1615 the UE 115 may determine if the supported capability iscompatible with the targeted UE capability. The operations of block 1615may be performed according to the methods described with reference toFIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples, aspects of the operations ofblock 1615 may be performed by a supported capability component asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

At block 1620 the UE 115 may determine to monitor for the broadcast ormulticast content based on determining that the supported capability iscompatible with the targeted UE capability. The operations of block 1620may be performed according to the methods described with reference toFIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples, aspects of the operations ofblock 1620 may be performed by a broadcast/multicast monitoringcomponent as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

At block 1625 the UE 115 may receive broadcast or multicast contentusing the radio interface based at least in part on the identifiedsupported capability of the UE 115 and on the targeted UE capability.The operations of block 1625 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples,aspects of the operations of block 1625 may be performed by a UEbroadcast/multicast content component as described with reference toFIGS. 9 through 12.

FIG. 17 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1700 for capability andcoverage determination for multimedia broadcast multicast services inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Theoperations of method 1700 may be implemented by a base station 105 orits components as described herein. For example, the operations ofmethod 1700 may be performed by a base station capability and coveragemanager as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8. In someexamples, a base station 105 may execute a set of codes to control thefunctional elements of the device to perform the functions describedbelow. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may performaspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block 1705 the base station 105 may determine a set of radio accessparameters to be used to deliver broadcast or unicast content. Theoperations of block 1705 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples,aspects of the operations of block 1705 may be performed by a radioaccess parameter manager as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through8.

At block 1710 the base station 105 may transmit the set of radio accessparameters to a network node. The operations of block 1710 may beperformed according to the methods described with reference to FIGS. 1through 4. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block 1710may be performed by a radio access parameter manager as described withreference to FIGS. 5 through 8.

At block 1715 the base station 105 may receive messages from at leastone UE 115, the messages indicating successful reception of thebroadcast or unicast content at the at least one UE. The operations ofblock 1715 may be performed according to the methods described withreference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples, aspects of theoperations of block 1715 may be performed by a messaging component asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8.

At block 1720 the base station 105 may modify the set of radio accessparameters based at least in part on the received messages. Theoperations of block 1720 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples,aspects of the operations of block 1720 may be performed by a radioaccess parameter modifier as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through8.

It should be noted that the methods described above describe possibleimplementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearrangedor otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.Furthermore, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

Techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunications systems such as code division multiple access (CDMA),time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access(FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), singlecarrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and other systems.The terms “system” and “network” are often used interchangeably. A codedivision multiple access (CDMA) system may implement a radio technologysuch as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc.CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 Releasesmay be commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1×, 1×, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) iscommonly referred to as CDMA2000 1×EV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD),etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. Atime division multiple access (TDMA) system may implement a radiotechnology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).

An orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system mayimplement a radio technology such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB),Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM,etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunicationssystem (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A)are releases of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) thatuse E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, NR, and Global System forMobile communications (GSM) are described in documents from theorganization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). CDMA2000and UMB are described in documents from an organization named “3rdGeneration Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). The techniques describedherein may be used for the systems and radio technologies mentionedabove as well as other systems and radio technologies. While aspects anLTE or an NR system may be described for purposes of example, and LTE orNR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniquesdescribed herein are applicable beyond LTE or NR applications.

In LTE/LTE-A networks, including such networks described herein, theterm evolved node B (eNB) may be generally used to describe the basestations. The wireless communications system or systems described hereinmay include a heterogeneous LTE/LTE-A or NR network in which differenttypes of evolved node B (eNBs) provide coverage for various geographicalregions. For example, each eNB, gNB or base station may providecommunication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, or other types ofcell. The term “cell” may be used to describe a base station, a carrieror component carrier associated with a base station, or a coverage area(e.g., sector, etc.) of a carrier or base station, depending on context.

Base stations may include or may be referred to by those skilled in theart as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an accesspoint, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB(gNB), Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or some other suitable terminology.The geographic coverage area for a base station may be divided intosectors making up only a portion of the coverage area. The wirelesscommunications system or systems described herein may include basestations of different types (e.g., macro or small cell base stations).The UEs described herein may be able to communicate with various typesof base stations and network equipment including macro eNBs, small celleNBs, gNBs, relay base stations, and the like. There may be overlappinggeographic coverage areas for different technologies.

A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g.,several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEswith service subscriptions with the network provider. A small cell is alower-powered base station, as compared with a macro cell, that mayoperate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed, etc.)frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells may include pico cells,femto cells, and micro cells according to various examples. A pico cell,for example, may cover a small geographic area and may allowunrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the networkprovider. A femto cell may also cover a small geographic area (e.g., ahome) and may provide restricted access by UEs having an associationwith the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEsfor users in the home, and the like). An eNB for a macro cell may bereferred to as a macro eNB. An eNB for a small cell may be referred toas a small cell eNB, a pico eNB, a femto eNB, or a home eNB. An eNB maysupport one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells(e.g., component carriers).

The wireless communications system or systems described herein maysupport synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronousoperation, the base stations may have similar frame timing, andtransmissions from different base stations may be approximately alignedin time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations may havedifferent frame timing, and transmissions from different base stationsmay not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be usedfor either synchronous or asynchronous operations.

The downlink transmissions described herein may also be called forwardlink transmissions while the uplink transmissions may also be calledreverse link transmissions. Each communication link describedherein—including, for example, wireless communications system 100 and200 of FIGS. 1 and 2—may include one or more carriers, where eachcarrier may be a signal made up of multiple sub-carriers (e.g., waveformsignals of different frequencies).

The description set forth herein, in connection with the appendeddrawings, describes example configurations and does not represent allthe examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of theclaims. The term “exemplary” used herein means “serving as an example,instance, or illustration,” and not “preferred” or “advantageous overother examples.” The detailed description includes specific details forthe purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques.These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specificdetails. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shownin block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of thedescribed examples.

In the appended figures, similar components or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the firstreference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

Information and signals described herein may be represented using any ofa variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data,instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chipsthat may be referenced throughout the above description may berepresented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magneticfields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combinationthereof.

The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection withthe disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with ageneral-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmablelogic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor,but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration).

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, softwareexecuted by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. Ifimplemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may bestored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are withinthe scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to thenature of software, functions described above can be implemented usingsoftware executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, orcombinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may alsobe physically located at various positions, including being distributedsuch that portions of functions are implemented at different physicallocations. Also, as used herein, including in the claims, “or” as usedin a list of items (for example, a list of items prefaced by a phrasesuch as “at least one of” or “one or more of”) indicates an inclusivelist such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C meansA or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, asused herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a referenceto a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step that isdescribed as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition Aand a condition B without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shallbe construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in parton.”

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storagemedia and communication media including any medium that facilitatestransfer of a computer program from one place to another. Anon-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way ofexample, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media maycomprise RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read only memory(EEPROM), compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othernon-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired programcode means in the form of instructions or data structures and that canbe accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or ageneral-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection isproperly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the softwareis transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using acoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line(DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave,then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digitalsubscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio,and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc,as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatiledisc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproducedata magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above are also included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

The description herein is provided to enable a person skilled in the artto make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosurewill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the genericprinciples defined herein may be applied to other variations withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is notlimited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to beaccorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for wireless communication at a basestation, comprising: receiving, from a network node, a quality ofservice class indicator (QCI) for a user equipment (UE) specified by aservice provider for the delivery of broadcast or multicast content;determining, based at least in part on the QCI, a targeted UE capabilityassociated with a radio interface between the base station and the UE;configuring the radio interface based at least in part on the targetedUE capability; and transmitting the broadcast or multicast content tothe UE using the configured radio interface.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising: identifying a mapping between the QCI and a maximumbandwidth, or a maximum transport block size, or a combination thereof;and configuring the radio interface based at least in part on theidentified mapping.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving, from the network node, a category of the UE, the indicationof the targeted UE capability comprising the category.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the network node comprises a broadcast multicastservice center (BMSC), or a multimedia broadcast multicast service(MBMS) gateway, or a combination thereof.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein configuring the radio interface based at least in part on thereceived indication of the targeted UE capability comprises determininga maximum bandwidth, or a maximum transport block size, or a combinationthereof to be used to transmit the broadcast or multicast content. 6.The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from the networknode, an indication of an expected coverage level specified by theservice provider; and configuring the radio interface based at least inpart on the received indication of the expected coverage level, thereceived indication of the targeted UE capability including theindication of the expected coverage level.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising: transmitting UE reports to the network node; andreceiving an updated indication of a targeted UE capability from thenetwork node, the radio interface modified based at least in part on theupdated targeted UE capability.
 8. A method for wireless communicationat a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving an indication of atargeted UE capability associated with a radio interface between the UEand a base station, the targeted UE capability based at least in part ona quality of service class indicator (QCI) for the UE; identifying asupported capability of the UE based at least in part on the indication;and receiving broadcast or multicast content using the radio interfacebased at least in part on the identified supported capability of the UEand on the targeted UE capability.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein theindication of the targeted UE capability is received from a serviceprovider.
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: determining ifthe supported capability is compatible with the targeted UE capability,wherein the targeted UE capability is a UE category or a UE coverageenhancement level; and determining to monitor for the broadcast ormulticast content based at least in part on determining that thesupported capability is compatible with the targeted UE capability. 11.The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the indication of the targetedUE capability comprises receiving the indication of the targeted UEcapability in one or more of a single cell multipoint control channel(SC-MCCH), a user service description, or a system information block.12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining the UEcapability based at least in part on the SC-MCCH; and monitoring for adownlink control information (DCI) format based at least in part on thedetermined UE capability.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein receivingthe indication of the targeted UE capability comprises receiving theindication of the targeted UE capability in a transmission formattedbased at least in part on a minimum supported capability of the UE. 14.The method of claim 8, wherein the targeted UE capability comprises amaximum supported capability of the UE targeted by a service provider,or a minimum supported capability of the UE targeted by a serviceprovider, or an actual supported capability of the UE targeted by theservice provider, or a combination thereof.
 15. The method of claim 8,further comprising: transmitting, by the UE, a request for content to acontent provider, the request for content including a category of theUE, wherein the received indication of the targeted UE capability isbased at least in part on the category of the UE.
 16. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising: transmitting a report indicating successfulreceipt of the broadcast or multicast content.
 17. An apparatus forwireless communication at a base station, comprising: means forreceiving, from a network node, a quality of service class indicator(QCI) for a user equipment (UE) specified by a service provider for thedelivery of broadcast or multicast content; means for determining, basedat least in part on the QCI, a targeted UE capability associated with aradio interface between the base station and the UE; means forconfiguring the radio interface based at least in part on the targetedUE capability; and means for transmitting the broadcast or multicastcontent to the UE using the configured radio interface.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 17, further comprising: means for receiving, from anetwork node, an indication of an expected coverage level specified bythe service provider; and means for configuring the radio interfacebased at least in part on the received indication of the expectedcoverage level, the received indication of the targeted UE capabilityincluding the indication of the expected coverage level.